


Strays

by sarcasmismyweapon



Category: Naruto
Genre: Adorable, Chunin, Cute, Fluffy, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Jounin, Kakashi annoys Iruka, M/M, One Shot, ankle biters for students
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-02
Updated: 2018-03-02
Packaged: 2019-03-26 03:00:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13848660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarcasmismyweapon/pseuds/sarcasmismyweapon
Summary: Iruka is sitting at home grading the latest batch of his student's essay's when he gets an unannounced visitor. Needless to say his evening of grading just got a hell of a lot more interesting.





	Strays

**Author's Note:**

> Here is the Reward/Apology fic that I owe you all. Again I'm sorry for posting the Life Lesson's chapter late and I hope you will all forgive me.
> 
> Side note, they aren't in an established relationship in this fic, but I think it's still cute and fits the parameters of the challenge given to me by your guys voting choice. Thanks for voting! The winner was Cute/Funny one shot with Kakashi/Iruka. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy the fic and I'll be posting a new chapter ON TIME on Monday for Life Lessons.

 

Iruka sighed as he marked yet another mistake on the essay before him with his red pen, the scribbles of red were beginning to blur together and look almost like he was murdering the essay rather than grading it. Shaking his head at the assortment of mistakes the child had made in his latest homework assignment, Iruka not for the first time wondered if they were expecting too much from children so young. Of course it couldn’t be helped, to be a shinobi meant that one had to cast aside a childhood long before it was truly missed. So with a heavier heart than usual the chunin returned to his grading and marked up his student’s essay, correcting all the mistakes that someday might cost the boy more than just a good grade in a class. 

Iruka didn’t even bother to look up when he heard the tale tell sound of someone entering his apartment, far too used to Kakashi entering as he pleased at all hours. The pair of them had a rather unorthodox relationship and it was because of this that the chunin barely gave an iota of his attention to the sounds of the man rummaging through his kitchen. A wry grin came to his lips when he heard a horrified sound come from said kitchen. The poor jounin must have discovered that there weren’t any leftovers to pillage.

Shaking his head the chunin cast aside the butchered essay and rose from his couch. Cracking his back and groaning as he stretched, once his body was in order he made his way towards his kitchen to see what had brought the jounin to his house. A quick glance towards his clock showed that it was well after midnight, a small tsk left his throat as he continued towards the kitchen. Granted he couldn’t be too upset with Kakashi about the late arrival, the man knew better than most the odd hours that Iruka kept and with the jounin returning at strange times due to his missions their odd lifestyles seemed to line up more often than not. 

That didn’t excuse him from knocking though, something that Iruka had tried and failed yet to get the man to do. He took what little pride he could in the fact that he’d finally gotten the stubborn man to start using the door from time to time. Despite there being an extra key outside, the jounin loved to come in through the windows and scare the bejesus out of him. A frown marred Iruka’s face as he thought about that, perhaps the irksome man did that simply because he loved startling him. He wouldn’t put it past someone like Kakashi. Snorting to himself as he walked just inside the doorway to his kitchen Iruka froze, his mouth falling open and his eyes widening at the sight before him.

“How can you be out of-” 

“Kakashi!” 

The silver haired ninja twisted about upon hearing the frantic tone of his name, he raised a brow to the stunned man before him. He smirked beneath his torn mask at the chunin who was gaping at the sight of him.

“Mah I figured you’d still be up and have food, I suppose one out of two isn’t so bad ne?”

Iruka blinked before frowning and shaking his head, stepping forward his hand coming up as if to try and ascertain if the man before him was alright. He was prevented from doing such when Kakashi tilted his head at him, grin still in place.

“Ano so...How’s the grading going?”

Iruka shook his head dumbly at the man.

“That bad huh? Gonna flunk the little ankle biters?” Kakashi chuckled only to blanch when Iruka came to a halt before him and just stared at him. “What? Do I have something on my face?”

Iruka looked him up and down a moment before giving him an incredulous look, it was lost on the jounin though as Kakashi continued to just stare back at him.

“Did you hit your head?!” Iruka exclaimed worriedly.

Kakashi scoffed at the same time that he began shaking his head. “No, why would you ask something like that?”

Iruka took a step back before waving a hand up and down at the man, Kakashi glanced down at his own figure before looking back up at the chunin who was glaring at him.

“What?”

Iruka threw his hands up in the air as he groaned in frustration. “Seriously?!”

Kakashi glanced once more down at himself before noticing something, looking back up sheepishly at the chunin Kakashi smirked. “Ano sorry bout that. Guess I wasn’t really all that aware of myself there.”

Iruka gave a nod and made to take a step forward once more to help the man, when Kakashi interrupted him.

“So where’s your broom? I’ll sweep it all up.”

Iruka blanched, going completely still and silent as he stared at the man before him asking for his broom of all things. For one reason or another the jounin was completely oblivious that it hadn’t been the dirt the man had tracked in that was upsetting him. Kakashi raised a brow at the chunin which he’d somehow managed to stupor yet again.

“Uh Iruka? You okay there? I said I’d sweep up the dirt I tracked in.”

The glare that transformed from the bemused expression the chunin had previously been adorned with had Kakashi taking a stumbling step back and raising his hands. He knew good and well not to piss off the chunin, looks could be deceiving and in Iruka’s case they flat out lied to your face. The meek little chunin many mistook him for was all an act and the fury the man could unleash upon his unsuspecting victims was legendary to those who knew the truth. Kakashi was in no hurry to face the man’s wrath yet again, his hasty retreat was met only with Iruka eating up the distance between them until Kakashi was pressed firmly up against the kitchen counter and at the chunin’s mercy. Closing his eyes and waiting for whatever the man would do to him, Kakashi was surprised when nothing happened at first. Daring to be so bold as to open his eye, the jounin glanced down when something cold and wet touched his arm. He stared dumbly as the chunin wiped a washcloth across a scratch on his arm.

“Uh...Iruka?”

“You’re an idiot.”

Kakashi nodded his head, not about to argue that point. He’d already lost that argument more times than he’d care to admit. “Right...Ano what are you doing?”

A deep sigh left the chunin which prompted Kakashi to wave the arm not currently in the man’s grasp. “Not that I mind. Go right ahead...Doing whatever it is your doing.”

Iruka leveled a glare once more at the stammering man before returning to the gentle swathes of the washcloth over the man’s bleeding arm.

“You’re an idiot.” He repeated.

Kakashi nodded once more.

“You don’t even realize when your hurt do you?”

Kakashi tilted his head a bit before glancing down at the cut the man was tending to, Kakashi wouldn’t have even considered that noteworthy. It was only a small gash and easily tended too, it wasn’t like he was bleeding out or anything.

“Uh it doesn’t hurt?” He tried to placate the man.

Iruka’s glare had him snapping his mouth shut and giving yet another nod. Iruka held his gaze a moment longer before returning to his work. Sighing Kakashi waited patiently for Iruka to say something more about what he’d done, but the chunin was silent as he continued to wash away the grime that clung to the dried blood on his arm.

“I’m waiting.” Came the small voice of the chunin as he patted the wound dry with a nearby dish towel.

“Waiting for what?”

Iruka snorted. “Whatever bold faced lie you were planning to tell me was a result of you showing up on my doorstep as you are now.”

Kakashi frowned a moment before stating. “I came in through the window.”

Iruka chuckled and shook his head. “You know what I mean.”

“True.” Kakashi smirked back at the man who was giving him a questioning gaze. “ Don’t judge me, but I may have murdered someone.”

Iruka stopped what he was doing to glance at Kakashi as if trying to see if the man was telling the truth or not, when the man didn’t smile at him Iruka gave a brisk nod and went back to what he was doing. Kakashi raised a brow at the man’s nonchalant response. “Well that was unsettling. Normally people run screaming when they’re told stuff like that.”

Iruka snorted. “We live in a shinobi village and I train children to throw dangerous weapons when they can barely write their own names.”

Kakashi blinked a moment before nodding. “Touche.”

Iruka smirked and gave the man a sidelong glance as he threw the now dirty towel into the sink and looked the man up and down.

“Murdered someone huh?”

Kakashi glanced down at himself before looking back up to the amused chunin. “Uh yeah...Why do you find that so amusing?”

Iruka rolled his eyes. “The murdering part not so much, but where are your pants?”

Kakashi snorted. “I still have pants.” 

They both glanced down to the tattered remains of the man’s clothing, truth be told there wasn’t much left below his thighs. The tattered remains could barely be claimed to be shorts. Iruka raised a brow to him. Sighing Kakashi waved a hand in the air to get the man off his case as he admitted.

“I may have miscalculated something that resulted in what one might call a catastrophe.”

Iruka held his gaze unflinchingly.

“Okay I fucked up.”

Iruka rolled his eyes. “ I’ve known you for years you’re going to have to be more specific”

The glare he received from Kakashi had Iruka smirking. “Well?”

Sighing Kakashi muttered. “My target might have gotten word of my arrival and been booby trapping the place. I think he had the whole if I’m going to die your going with me mentality.”

Iruka shook his head as he walked back towards the living room. “Somehow I don’t find that surprising.”

“To be fair it didn’t help him any.”

Iruka snorted. “It didn’t help you out either.”

“Hey now...Don’t be intimidated by my bloody and battered figure, I still kicked his ass.”

Iruka smirked as he walked into his bedroom and rifled through his clothing and came back with a pair of pants only to throw them at the ranting jounin before him. Kakashi caught the clothing and scowled down at them a moment before sighing.

“Fine, if it’ll protect your virtue I’ll go put these on.”

Iruka shook his head as he walked past the man, not bothering to reply to the man’s sass. Kakashi smirked to himself as he glanced over his shoulder to see Iruka heading back towards the kitchen. Ducking into the bathroom just long enough to rid himself of the tattered remains of his pants and slide into the offered clothing, Kakashi was quick to return to the kitchen to see what his host might be doing. Iruka’s clothing was smaller than his own, something they both knew. Still it always made Iruka smirk in a way that had Kakashi rolling his own eye at the man’s amusement to seeing his ankles.

“Ha ha laugh it up.”

“Oh I will.” Iruka said with a smile as he leaned against the kitchen counter. “Now are you going to tell me what happened?”

Kakashi hummed to himself as if he was considering doing nothing, but the opposite. Iruka ignored his attempt to stall in favor of asking.

“You came here for food didn’t you? Well if you want food I want answers.”

Kakashi’s smug appearance fled immediately as he considered his options. Iruka was waiting for a reply and depending on how he answered would likely determine if he got food or not.

“My master plan might have gone sideways.”

Iruka smirked. “Uh huh, how sideways?”

“You know that moment right before a jutsu is cast when all you feel is the energy from your chakra and you can tell whether or not it’s stable.”

Iruka frowned as he nodded his head,  he had no idea where Kakashi was going with this.

“And you know that moment when for one reason or another the chakra collapses in on itself and you feel that horrible coldness creep up your body, but it’s already too late to absorb it back into yourself.”

Iruka nodded.

“Yeah...My mission was kinda like that. Knew things were going south the moment I got there, but hell if it wasn’t too late to turn back.”

Iruka sighed as he took in the man’s appearance, Kakashi had a rather worn appearance to him, besides just his pants the rest of his clothing had holes and burn patches across it. His skin was a  maraid of bruises and scrapes, though none appeared to be bothering the man all that much. Of course Iruka could never count on the man being open with whether or not he was alright, he had a knack for saying he was fine when he really wasn’t. 

“Are you alright?”

Kakashi gave a smile and a nod. “I’m good.”

Iruka snorted and muttered under his breath about that being debatable, Kakashi wisely stayed silent when he heard what the man had said. The pair stood there a moment before the silver haired jounin finally spoke up, sensing that it was now safe to do so.

“Soooo...How y-”

“Can it.”

Kakashi poked his lip out in a pout that didn’t seem to hold much sway against the chunin.

“But Ruk-”

“I said can it.” Iruka said with what he hoped was a firm voice, but what he sincerely doubted backed him up given by the man’s smile. “Now what do you want to eat? The least I can do is make sure you have something worthwhile to eat before sending you home.”

Kakashi smirked. “I came to see you, though the food is appreciated. I can cook.”

The snort from the chunin had Kakashi pouting once more. “Hey now, I can.”

Iruka folded his arms over his chest and leveled the jounin a serious look. “Do you know how to cook anything besides ramen?” 

“Totally.” 

“What?”  Iruka asked skeptically.

“Um… microwave popcorn.” Kakashi smiled innocently.

Iruka snorted as he twisted about to start and gather some supplies to cook for the idiot behind him.

“My point exactly.”

Kakashi sighed loudly, but was ignored by the man who was rummaging through the fridge. “So what are you making? Cause those crab puff things you made the other day were really-”

Iruka twisted about and raised a brow. “It’s nearly two in the morning, I’m not making those.”

Kakashi stuck out his lip in an attempt to pry the man into doing what he wished. The solid glare that came his way proved that his pouting wasn’t as powerful as he believed it to be. “ But why not?”

“Because it’s late and those take way too long to make.”

“Mah I’m sure you're exaggerating.”

Iruka leveled the man with a stern expression. “You burnt the popcorn when you made it didn’t you?”

Kakashi chuckled. “Now we’re not talking about my cooking prowess. We’re discussing what your so nicely offering to make me.”

Iruka rolled his eyes as he pulled some meat from the fridge and hummed under his breath to dismiss the man’s lame attempt to dissuade the conversation from steering once more towards himself. 

“So those crab-”

Iruka glared at the jounin and with a clack Kakashi’s jaw snapped shut.

“You shouldn’t push your luck, especially not after whatever happened to you on that last mission.”

Kakashi scoffed back at the chunin. “Why’s that?”

“Because I cook the food…and I could technically poison you.”

Kakashi blinked a moment before giving a nod of his head. “Touche.”

Iruka smirked. “I can make some of those crab puffs this weekend, provided you don’t show up on my door in the same state as you are now.”

Kakashi glanced down at himself once more before shrugging his shoulders. He’d been worse, but he supposed he could see Iruka’s point. “I make no promises, but I’ll do my utmost best not to require pants.”

Iruka chuckled as he set about preparing the man a sandwich. Kakashi stood silently for a while simply observing the chunin as he prepared the food for him. Smirking to himself the jounin was quick to wipe the expression from his face whenever Iruka shifted as if to look his way. It only took a few minutes before Iruka was turning around a plate in hand and a smile on his face.

“Come on then, you can sit down and eat while I get back to my grading.”

Kakashi didn’t argue the terms, simply nodded and followed the younger man out into the living room. Once they were both seated, Kakashi chewing on the offered sandwich and Iruka grading once more did they fall into what was a part of their normal routine whenever Kakashi came by at the odd hours. It was Kakashi was chewing another bite of his sandwich that he took notice of Iruka chewing on the end of his red pen, a habit he was sure that the chunin wasn’t even aware he did. Smirking to himself as he swallowed the bite of food, the jounin interrupted whatever musings the man might be caught in.

“So how bad are they?”

Iruka jerked a bit as if he hadn’t expected his visitor to talk for a while, he looked up sheepishly upon realizing how he must look jumping at something so benign. “What?”

Kakashi smirked. “How bad are they? Your ankle biters essays?”

Iruka gave the man a disapproving look before glancing down to the stack of essays he’d already finished grading and the smaller pile that had yet to face his red pen. “Well...If this is any indication on who’s going to graduate.” Iruka smirked sadly. “We’re going to be short staffed a while.”

Kakashi laughed as Iruka sighed and shook his head.

“I really wonder sometimes if they even hear what I say.”

Kakashi waved a hand in the air to dismiss the man’s concerns. “Oh they hear you, they just can’t retain it is all while they’re trying to find ways to escape your class.”

Iruka gave him a speculative look, but the jounin just smiled back without offering up anything in return to his statement. Rolling his eyes Iruka muttered. “Eat your sandwich.”

“Yes sir.” Kakashi quipped cheekily before taking another sizable bite from his food.

Iruka glared at him for his cheek a moment and then turned his attention once more on the essays. He hadn’t marked more than two sentences when he looked up with a broad smile on his face.

“You know what...I just thought of something.”

Kakashi tilted his head, sandwich sticking out of his mouth as he’d been mid bite when the chunin had spoken up. “Mm w-hat?”

Iruka snorted at the odd picture the jounin made before shaking his head and continuing with his present train of thought.

“Well if they won't listen to me, maybe a demonstration is in order.”

Kakashi gave a skeptical look to the man sitting across from him. Iruka smiled innocently at him. placing what was left of his sandwich onto the plate he’d been given Kakashi was quick to rebuttal.

“If this is the price of a sandwich I might stick with my popcorn.”

Iruka snorted. “Come on, you’d get to show off to a bunch of kids.”

“Your not helping your case there.” He pointed out with a finger directed at the chunin.

Iruka sighed. “Okay, okay. How about this if you come and demonstrate some techniques to my students...I’ll make some of your favorite dishes this weekend.”

Kakashi raised a brow to the chunin. “Seems like a lot of work just for some food.” The tilt to his voice showed he wasn’t quite sure of the deal.

Iruka rolled his eyes before nodding. “Fine what else do you want?”

Smirking broadly at having successfully earned himself more bargaining rights, the jounin proclaimed. “Well besides the awesome food, I wouldn’t be to upset should we have some time out in the train fields again.”

Iruka laughed. “Seriously?”

“What? You sound so surprised.”

Iruka snorted. “You don’t need me as a sparring partner Kakashi. You could train with anyone else, Guy-”

“That’s mean.” Kakashi cut in.

Sighing Iruka muttered. “Right my apologies, as I was saying you could train with someone of your rank and have a better time than training with me. I’m just a chunin.”

Kakashi snorted. “And you keep me on my feet. Your traps aren’t something many people mess with nowadays.”

“Now your making me feel old.”

Kakashi laughed at the chunin’s put out expression. “That’s not what I meant.” He chuckled. “But you do have a point there, getting a little grey aro-OW!”

Iruka smirked at the jounin as he rubbed his arm from where the chunin had thrown his pen at him. “Keep talking I dare you, I have an entire bag full of those.”

Kakashi smirked. “See, that’s my point right there.” He pointed at the chunin. “Not many people would think to use ballpoint pens as a weapon.”

Iruka rolled his eyes. “You’re an idiot.”

Kakashi smirked back at him as if he hadn’t just been insulted. “Besides I’d much rather have your company than Guy’s.”

Iruka smirked. “I thought you liked those challenges of his?” Iruka laughed after he was forced to dodge the pen being thrown back at him by a scowling jounin. 

“Watch it or I might summon my dogs to chew up all your ankle biters homework.”

Iruka snorted in reply. “Pakkun wouldn’t do that without promise of food and since you can’t cook I think I’m safe.”

Kakashi sighed. “He doesn’t like ramen.”

Iruka rolled his eyes as he leaned over the side of his chair to retrieve his pen. “I’m shocked to hear that.”

Adjusting the stack of papers on his lap Iruka glanced down only to shake his head and mark something else on the piece of paper as incorrect. Kakashi smirked as he watched the chunin frown down at his students work. He didn’t understand how the man could do it, but then again many said the same thing about him and the missions he went on. Sitting back against the couch Kakashi picked up the remainder of his sandwich and continued eating as he observed Iruka grade the remaining papers. Slowly bit by bit the pile dwindled until the man was on the last essay, a look of concentration sprawled across his face.

“Something wrong?” 

Iruka glanced up from the latest essay he was trying to grade only to scowl when he saw what the jounin had been doing in his absence of paying attention to him. Kakashi smiled at him like nothing was the matter despite the fact that he was busy playing with a kunai. Eyeing the man’s weapon a moment Iruka caught onto what he had been asked and shook his head.

“No, nothings wrong per say...You better not poke a hole in my couch.”

Kakashi waved the kunai in the air. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Iruka sighed before continuing with his previous train of thought. “It’s just that the students suggestion to the question I posed to them is...Unorthodox.”

“Oh?” Kakashi leaned forward intrigued to hear that a child might have thought outside the box for once. “And what pray tell did they suggest?”

Iruka shook his head. “Technically it would work...But the effort to do this would make it not worth the time or energy.”

“Ah, but you said it would work. Isn’t that the real question, to see if those ankle biters can solve a problem? Never mind if it’s efficient.”

Iruka gave a slow nod. “True, it does work. Efficiency is obviously not this kids strong suit though.”

Kakashi chuckled. “From what I saw last week none of them are high up on that particular skill.”

Iruka sent a perturbed look at the jounin. “What did you say?”

“Hmm? Oh nothing.”

Iruka shook his head. “I thought I told you to stop spying on the kids.”

“Wasn’t the brats I was spying on. You did pretty good with that rabid one by the way.”

Iruka choked on his own spit as he fought against laughing and shouting at the man who was smirking at him. “W-What?” He gasped as soon as he had cleared his throat.

“The rabid one, you got it under control. Good for you.”

Iruka shook his head. “The children aren’t rabid.”

Kakashi held up a hand as if he was about to argue that point.

“THEY AREN’T RABID!”

Kakashi sighed as he let his hand fall back to his lap. “If you say so.”

“I do.” Iruka groused. “And stop spying on my classes.”

Kakashi smirked at him knowingly. The chunin groaned and let his head thunk back against the chair he was sitting in.

“You’re not going to stop are you?”

“I’d say I’m sorry, but I’m not.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

Iruka sent a tired glare towards the jounin who was once more playing with his kunai as if he hadn’t just frustrated the man to no end. Kakashi was observing him idly while playing with the weapon, silently waiting for something Iruka was sure. Giving a sigh he muttered to the man.

“What?”

Kakashi gave a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders before pointing at Iruka’s lap with the kunai. Looking down Iruka saw that he hadn’t yet finished the last essay. Giving a disgruntled noise the chunin picked up the piece of paper and after sending a withering look to the jounin returned to his grading. Kakashi smirked to himself as he continued to twirl the kunai around as he waited. He knew it would only be a little bit before Iruka broke down and said something. He didn’t have to wait long because not ten minutes passed before the chunin gave a relieved sigh and placed the now graded essay on top of the rest of his classes finished papers.

“So? How’d the ankle-”

“Stop calling my students ankle biters.”

Kakashi smirked. “You didn’t like it when I called them brats.”

Iruka rolled his eyes. “I wonder why?”

“I’m not sure, you just yelled at me to stop and now your don’t like ankle biters. I’m going to be hard pressed to come up with a better term for them.”

Kakashi caught the ball point pen when it was thrown at him this time and smirked at Iruka. “Can’t use the same trick twice on me sensei.”

Iruka groaned as he thunked his head backwards against his chair. “Aren’t you tired. You should be tired, go home.”

“Aww I’m beginning to think that you don’t want me here.”

Iruka snorted. “Go home Kakashi.”

Chuckling the silver haired ninja rose from the couch, easily tossed the pen onto the chunin’s lap and headed for the window.

“USE THE DOOR!”

Kakashi twisted about just as he was at the window and hummed a moment before giving a shake of his head. “Nope.” With a wave of his hand the jounin lifted the window up and slid outside. As he was about to close the window he rested himself with his elbows on the window frame.

Iruka was busy tidying up his workstation when he heard the jounin who he had figured had already left speak once more.

“Thanks for the food.”

Iruka snorted. “You’re welcome.” Stuffing the graded papers into his satchel bag Iruka twisted around suddenly when Kakashi called out to him one last time.

“Oh and I’ll see you in class tomorrow sensei.”

The window was wide open and the ninja was nowhere in sight. Looking up at his ceiling Iruka closed his eyes and muttered to himself.

“I’ve got to stop feeding him, he’s like a stray. I can’t feed strays or I’ll end up keeping them.”

Opening his eyes once more and giving a shake of his head as he glanced over to the still open window Iruka smiled to himself.


End file.
